After more than a semester of operation of the online gambling market in Brazil, the Secretariat for Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance (SPA-MF) has released a precise overview of the online gambling sector.
According to a Ministry of Finance press release, this year the SPA’s two main objectives have been to ensure that authorized companies “comply with regulations and to combat the illegal market.”
By the end of the first semester, the SPA reported that as many as 15,463 pages had been removed by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) since October 2024. Additionally, the SPA recorded that 17.7 million Brazilians had placed bets on the websites and applications of the 182 betting companies authorized by the Secretariat.
“This report is fundamentally important for regulation. These are concrete data reflecting the regulatory actions, addressing issues such as oversight and control, along with the first numbers that reflect reality rather than just estimates. Moving forward, discussions about the fixed-odds betting market in Brazil can be based on more solid elements, enabling us to advance regulation based on evidence,” stated Regis Dudena, Secretary for the SPA.
Of the 66 enforcement actions involving 93 companies, 35 resulted in the application of sanctions over the semester the SPA reported.
In addition to blocking illegal websites, two other fronts in combating the illegal market include monitoring and oversight of financial institutions, which cannot conduct transactions for unauthorized betting companies, and combating advertising by operators of illegal bets, with cooperation from major search platforms and social media.
In relation to the financial system, an alignment with the Central Bank established that the task of monitoring, overseeing, and possibly sanctioning financial institutions (FIs) and payment institutions (PIs) falls to the SPA-MF. The Secretariat mandated that institutions operating in the illegal market close the accounts of these clients and notify the SPA whenever they discover accounts suspected of such activity.
In the first semester, 24 FIs and PIs made 277 communications to the SPA and closed the accounts of 255 individuals and companies due to involvement with unauthorized fixed-odds betting activities. During this period, the SPA contacted 13 payment institutions, requesting information and notifying them for account closures. As a result, 45 companies operating in the illegal fixed-odds betting market were reported to have closed their accounts.
When it comes to advertising the Ministry of Finance emphasised that there had been progress via an agreement with the Digital Council of Brazil—an association founded by eight of the country’s major technology companies, including Google, Meta, TikTok, Kwai, and Amazon. This partnership seeks to achieve greater efficiency in removing illegal company advertisements and in detecting and removing profiles and promotions that are presented as organic content, thereby violating regulations. In the fight against illegal advertising on social media, 120 processes were concluded, resulting in the removal of 112 influencer pages and an additional 146 posts.
The report also provided a number of insights regarding players and the size of the market. Of the 17.7 million Brazilians who placed bets in the first semester, 71% are men and 28.9% are women, according to the first semi-annual report of the General Betting Management System (Sigap) of the Ministry of Finance, which receives daily information on all bets placed by the 76 authorized companies operating fixed-odds betting.
Regarding age groups, the most represented is the 31 to 40 years range, constituting 27.8%. Those aged 18 to 25 comprise 22.4%; 22.2% are between 25 to 30 years old; 16.9% are between 41 and 50 years old; 7.8% are in the 51 to 60 age range; and 2.1% are 61 to 70 years old.
Meanwhile the total gross revenue of authorized betting companies, the Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), was R$ 17.4 billion in the first semester. This amount represents the total amount wagered minus the prizes paid, indicating the effective spending of bettors during the period. The average spending per active bettor is around R$ 983 per semester or R$ 164 per month.
The post Ministry of Finance releases first report on Brazilian online market sector appeared first on G3 Newswire.
After more than a semester of operation of the online gambling market in Brazil, the Secretariat for Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance (SPA-MF) has released a precise overview of the online gambling sector. According to a Ministry of Finance press release, this year the SPA’s two main objectives have been to ensure…
The post Ministry of Finance releases first report on Brazilian online market sector appeared first on G3 Newswire.